"You thought I did this out of the goodness of my heart?" He gave a short mirthless laugh. "Not a bit of it, this is going to be dangerous for me. What are you offering for my help?"

Title: Amber Sky

Author: Claire Warner

Series: C.O.I.L.S. of Copper and Brass (Book 1)

Genre: YA Dystopian

Publisher: Raven Press

Release Date: Mar 1 2017

Edition ~ 1st ~~ Formats ~ eBook

Blurb/Synopsis:

Beneath the Amber Sky, the nobility control the food, education, and the mysterious C.O.I.L.S of Copper and Brass. To Tay, struggling to keep her siblings alive, the ideas of rebellion and freedom are distant and unreachable.

But when her father is arrested, she begs Darius James, the son of the Overseer, to save his life. Darius agrees, but his help costs her a favour, one he can call in at any time.

Darius' favour will bring her to the Palace, and the perfect position to help the growing rebellion. But the court has games beyond anything she has seen before, and Darius' secrets will add to the danger.

Tay is now able to make a difference, to join the rebellion, find the C.O.I.L.S and discover the secrets of the Amber Sky. All she has to do is survive.

By day I am a boring civil servant, but by night (and at weekends) I write stories. I love fiction, I love the way that words can draw you from your own everyday world.

I love to read. As a child I read all of the Enid Blyton books and devoured Roald Dahl. As a teenager, I discovered LJ Smith, Anne McCaffrey, Tamora Pierce, and David Eddings and went through the phase of reading Point Horrors. As an adult, I found Kelley Armstrong, Raymond E Feist, Georgette Heyer, The Brontes, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Sheridan La Fanu and Henry James. I cannot imagine life without books.

So I have begun to write for myself. My characters live in my head and from time to time they want to live in other peoples as well. I want to share them with you and I hope you love them as much as I do.

Excerpt: Please Note that text is not fully edited

âThe line shuffled forward slowly, and she thought back to her first trip to the Centre. It had been raining, a gentle drenching drizzle that sunk through each layer of fabric she wore. Her father had just been arrested, and as was usual, his token had been passed to her. With the hit to her rating with her father's arrest, Tay had been ejected from the minor post she had managed to secure. Luckily, she had already finished school and could draw her father's ration. If all three of them had still been school age, they would have been left to starve. The line took another pace forward, and she ran her fingers over the metal discs in her pocket. The ration promised would keep her siblings in sufficient food and fuel for the following week, if she was able to get away with convincing them that she were entitled to it. She took a deep breath as the line moved closer to the door. Thoughts of what could happen if they didn't believe her raced through her mind, and she bit her lip until she tasted blood.
"Go in," She looked up in surprise at the door guard, so lost in thought, she had not noticed the man before her enter the building. Clenching her fist around the tokens, she walked into the building. The room beyond was small, with walls the colour of pea soup. A long counter ran along the far wall, with three assistants at each post. On the right hand side of the room there were three closed doors, which she averted her gaze from. She walked forward towards the empty chair, a sick feeling twisting her insides. The woman behind the desk, had a tight, pinched face, and unsmiling eyes behind a pair of spectacles. Impatiently, the woman beckoned her forward. Sitting down, her eyes flickered over the objects that lay on the desk before her. A brass typewriter and telegraph machine sat next to the token reader. A small stack of labels lay in a neat pile on the edge of the desk. An elegantly nibbed fountain pen stood in its small stand, and beside that lay the inkwell. The woman reached into a drawer, removed some paper, and, picking up the pen, began to write. Tay swallowed back the cluck of irritation as the woman ignored her, casting her eyes over the rest of the room as she waited.
"Token?" The woman words startled her, and she reached into her pocket with nervous, fumbling fingers.
"Two?" A quizzical look entered the woman's stern features as she took hold of the metal discs, and placed them into the reader. Tay tried to look unconcerned, as the small needle flicked across the surface of each of the discs in turn, reading the details of her ration. The large brass machine burst into life, and a long strip of paper began to chatter forth. Printed with her name, job role and selected other information, this narrow strip of paper confirmed her entitlement to draw her father's ration, as well as her own. Tearing the long strip of paper free, the woman began to read. Tay, looking on with fear, watched the woman's eyes flick between each line or text.
"Emerson?" Her eyes flicked up to meet Tay's, and a frown creased her features. "How did you manage to draw a servants ration?" Tay froze in fear as the woman glanced at the guards stationed at the sides of the room. With quick steps, two of the guards moved into place on either side of her and caught hold of her upper arms.
"What's wrong?" Taya tried to sound unconcerned, but her voice came out as a small squeak. The woman did not answer, but nodded to the guards. Tay felt her stomach sink as they pulled her upright. "I haven't done anything," She called out as they dragged her across the floor, hands clamped about her upper arms like steel. The few other patrons of the centre stared down at the floor, ignoring her panicked voice and expression. Struggling vainly against their grip, Tay was dragged towards one of the small interrogation rooms. The guards pushed her through the door, into a small, claustrophobia-inducing, room. Rough hands thrust her into a chair, and she cried out as her elbow smashed against the arm. Both guards ignored her, as they took positions on either side of the chair. Bulky, and solid with muscle, the guards discouraged any effort to escape. She swallowed nervously as she looked at the empty chair before her. Why had she not anticipated this? The centre controllers would know her father's name, and realise that she wasn't entitled to the position that she now held.
"She's not bad looking," The guard on the right spoke, his voice packed with leering innuendo as he leaned over her. Self conscious, she hunched forward, trying to hide herself from his glare. "Don't be like that..." He drew closer to her and she shuddered. "You and I can be great friends..." His fingers slid across her shoulder and began to reach downwards. "Treat me nice, and the mine can be a paradise."
"Knock it off Marlon," The centre controller entered the room, and slid into the chair opposite. "She's not under your control yet." Marlon stood bolt upright as Tay felt her insides lurch. The thought of the mine seared through her thoughts, and so did the knowledge that her siblings would starve in her absence. With neither of them able to draw ration, they would have to resort to begging or worse. She was unable to stop her hands from trembling, as she watched the woman place a file onto the table. "Now," The woman flicked open the folder and began to leaf through the pages. "Your father, Caleb Emerson, was sentenced to the Mine for activities against the common good," The woman recited in a flat monotonous tone. "As such, the rating for his dependents would have been reduced. With that reduction," She lifted her head, and stared at Tay. "None of you would qualify for service."
"I made rating," Tay whispered, hoping that Darius had made her alibi rock solid. "You can check," She took a deep breath and tried to find some confidence. "The agency has my record, and I was cleared..." She held her hands still and tried not to fidget. "I'm only cleared for scullery work, and nothing more," This she was taking a gamble on; she had no idea of what Darius had written on her file. She hadn't even thought to ask. Her fingernails dug into the palms of her hands as she tried to keep still, and appear unconcerned.
"It's an irregularity," The woman continued, giving no sign that she had accepted or even heard her explanations. "Keep her there whilst I check," She stood and left the room.